Chronicles of the Sword: The Mantis War
by Gohan Roxas
Summary: Alexander is a cadet in the Grandall Army, on the verge of winning his Commander's spurs. He has no idea what an impact he will have on history. An adaptation of the Chronicles of the Sword mode from SCIII. Abelia/OC/Luna triangle for the hell of it. Rated T for language and violence.
1. Prologue

_**There are other things I should be doing, I'll admit (like updating all my other fics), but I felt like I had to write this before it slipped away. It's an adaptation of Chronicles of the Sword mode from Soulcalibur III. Enjoy.**_

This is a tale of swords and souls…

In another time, in another place, there was a continent which held three great kingdoms: the Grandall Empire, the Kingdom of Dalkia and the Halteese Republic.

Once Dalkia and Halteese waged a great war against one another for countless years, while Grandall amassed its armies quietly. None knew of a shadowy danger that was slowly beginning to rise.

The instigator of what would come to be known as the Mantis War, King Chester the Tactician, was only one influential figure who rose from that same war.

The other was a mere cadet in the Grandall Army. His name was Alexander.

_**Of course, this was only the prologue. There's more to come.**_


	2. Rivals

_**Time for the first official chapter. Enjoy, anyone who's reading this (if anyone's reading this).**_

A woman's voice broke him out of his reverie. "Alex? Alex!"

"What?" he said, looking at her.

She rolled her eyes. "You were daydreaming again, weren't you?"

"Of course not!"

Nearby, an armoured man scoffed. "Dreaming of grandeur again, Alex?"

Alexander eyed him. "Shut up, Aeneas."

The woman laughed. "You were, weren't you?"

Alexander ruffled her purple hair. "Careful, Riese. I might tell a certain lance-wielder how you feel about him."

Her eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare."

"Try me."

"You baby-birds!" a powerful voice called suddenly. "Focus!"

"Yes, General Girardot!" the three shouted, straightening visibly.

Nearby, a pretty girl with curled blonde hair chuckled. She was armoured, and she had a shield latched onto her left arm. A short sword was belted on her waist.

Riese glowered at her. Aeneas put a restraining hand on her arm.

"Now I hope you all know why you're here," Girardot proclaimed to them, his red cape swirling in the wind. "This examination isn't to proclaim who will pass and who won't. That'll come later. This is purely to decide who's the best student at Parousia Academy. Is it Abelia? Or is it Alexander?"

The blonde girl eyed Alexander, her gaze steely; there was no threat in that gaze, just a fiery determination.

"You've all been given blunted versions of your weapons of choice," the grizzled General continued, "as well as ten troops. You are also all wearing sashes on your belts, blue for Abelia's army, red for Alexander's. If that sash is cut off your body, it means that you are dead and out of the battle. Finally, if your Commander's sash is cut off, the battle is over." He looked at Alexander. "You've chosen you're two lieutenants?"

"I have, sir," the young trainee answered, straightening slightly. "Aeneas and Riese, sir."

Girardot nodded appreciatively. "Good, good. Always keep your friends close, never forget that." He now turned to Abelia. "And you?"

"Yes, sir," she replied, her stance neutral, not out of disrespect, but a certain calmness. "Notus and Ishtar."

Girardot broke out in a rare smile. "Excellent. Abelia, you move to the opposite side of the battlefield."

She saluted the General and marched away, Notus, Ishtar and her small army following behind.

The old General then placed a hand on Alexander's shoulder as he walked towards his vantage point. "Don't you dare go easy on her because she's a woman," he warned.

"I wouldn't dream of it, sir."

"Good." Girardot moved to his watch tower, ready to give the orders.

"I am not gonna lose to some stuck-up brat like Abelia," Riese proclaimed, her curved swords twirling in her hands.

"She's not a brat," Alexander defended his rival. "She's just…very set in her ways."

Aeneas raised an eyebrow.

"Don't even say it," the trainee warned. He ran a hand through his shoulder-length dark hair and drew his longsword. Aeneas picked up his lance, which he'd planted into the ground next to him.

"Begin!" Girardot's voice called out to them all.

"Charge!" Alexander roared. His ten men (and women) followed the order to the letter, running forward, their voices raised in battle cries.

They immediately clashed with Abelia's troops, which were in a straight line formation, whereas Alexander's were more wide-spread. That was Abelia's generic tactic. She always focused all her energy on one target.

Alexander parried the stroke of a katana-wielding warrior with a blue sash on his belt and kicked his opponent's feet out from under him. The soldier cried out as he fell, landing heavily. Calmly, Alexander cut off the blue sash, "killing" his opponent.

Close by, he heard the roaring voice of Notus, who was rushing towards him, his twin short swords raised. Alexander raised his sword to parry the blow.

Aeneas got there first, holding his lance sideways. "Isn't Abelia waiting for you?" he asked, his voice strained.

He had a point there. Abelia would be satisfied with nothing less than a duel between herself and him.

Behind him, he heard more clashing swords. Riese had intercepted Ishtar, who had been trying to sneak up on Alexander and cut off his sash with her large sword. "Just go already!" Riese shouted.

Alexander gave a sardonic salute and ran forwards, straight into Abelia's army, cutting off blue sashes wherever he went.

Eventually he found Abelia pacing, pausing occasionally to shout orders to her troops. She stopped and stared at Alexander, her eyes shocked. Then they narrowed, the anticipation rife on her face. She drew her sword and held it in front of her face in salute. "Good luck to you."

Alexander copied the gesture. "And to you."

"Fight with all your might, as I will!" Abelia called, running towards him, her sword aloft.

Alexander parried the blow and lashed out with a powerful attack of his own, which Abelia blocked with her shield. She tried to overthrow his balance by pushing her shield towards him. Alexander simply moved his sword away and stepped aside; he knocked her on the back with the flat side of his sword as she flew past him. She wheeled around and saw Alexander's smiling face, his expression lightly mocking. She growled and came at him again.

Alexander again dodged the blow, this time knocking the hilt of his sword into Abelia's hip. She grunted at the contact. Alexander launched into a string of attacks, which Abelia blocked with her shield and parried with her sword. He started aiming for her head, which forced Abelia to raise both hands to protect it. A textbook mistake.

There was the sound of ripping material. Abelia became acutely aware of Alexander standing behind her, his sword raised horizontally. He sheathed it and turned around. He smiled, a kindly and triumphant smile. His eyes darted to the ground.

Abelia's sash lay next to her foot. "Dammit," she breathed. She bent and picked up the sash, handing it to Alexander.

"You're even better than they say you are," Alexander complimented her.

She rolled her eyes. "You're just saying that to appear humble."

He shook his head in denial. "I rarely say something I don't mean. And this isn't one of those times where I don't mean it."

Despite all the praise she'd been given by her instructors – even from General Girardot himself – Abelia found herself flushing ever so slightly at the compliment. "Thank you."

Alexander grinned. "The pleasure was all mine." He then held up her sash for the General to see.

And he did.

"Alexander's army is victorious!" he roared.

There were shouts of joy from his troops.

Alexander heard a rushing of footsteps behind him; a small body clashed into his back, wrapping its arms around his neck in an almost sisterly gesture.

"You did it, Alex!" Riese shouted.

Aeneas followed behind, shaking his head and chuckling. "Who gave you sugar this morning?"

Riese detached herself from Alexander to glare at the knight.

Abelia held out a hand to Alexander. "Well done, Alexander."

He shook her hand and smiled. "Call me Alex."

_**Eagle-eyed readers would notice that I gave Notus swords, even though he uses the 'Grieve Edge' in the game. I just felt like this fit better.**_


End file.
